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The patient who runs out of patience

It’s hard to be hospitalized…to be far from home, feeling ill and suffering. To get through it all, it’s important to have quality care from staff that is courteous, respectful and available. It’s not surprising that quality of care and professionalism of hospital staff are now a patients’ rights.

You have the right to complain about the hospital or one of its staff members if you are disrespected, neglected or if the care you received due to your state of health wasn’t up to par.

How do I complain?

To ensure that your rights are respected, in each hospital there is a local service quality and complaints commissioner in charge of handling patients’ complaints. This commissioner answers only to the hospital’s board of directors, allowing him to remain independent from staff and management.

Complaints about doctors, dentists or pharmacists are handled by a medical examiner. Anyone is allowed to lodge a complaint against these professionals.

Only the patient or her representative (spouse, parent, etc.) can lodge a complaint against other staff members. The complaint is made verbally or in writing.

The commissioner (or the medical examiner) must never treat a complaint lightly. He must process the complaint, evaluate its seriousness and investigate. He must communicate his conclusions to the complainant within 45 days of receiving the complaint.

Many things can happen as a result of a complaint. It can be dismissed on the basis that it is frivolous (trivial). It can lead to negotiations which eventually solve the problem. It can also lead to disciplinary measures being taken by the relevant professional order.

Practically, it may be hard to formulate a complaint or to locate the commissioner. That’s why there is a centre d’assistance et d’accompagnement aux plaintes (CAAP)  (http://www.rpocaa.org/organismes.html) in each Quebec region to help you find the right words and to assist you in the follow-up of your complaint. CAAP is an independent organization that offers its services free of charge.